Growth
by Sara Jaye
Summary: They weren't the same people they'd been three years ago, but maybe that was a good thing.


FE Fest - Rolf/Mist holding hands and first kisses (nothing over PG-13, please.)

* * *

He wasn't the person she'd grown up with, and Mist had more or less come to accept that. Even if he hadn't hardened completely, he was still sharp-eyed and battle-ready compared to the sweet little boy he'd once been. He spent more time with his brothers or Shinon, practicing and practicing until he could split a tree branch in half with a single arrow. They were still friends, but they weren't the _same_ friends.

So of course she was taken completely by surprise when he asked her to go for a walk with him that evening. He didn't even have his bow with him, and he seemed to be blushing a little...not that Mist would suspect him of anything, of course, but it was odd nonetheless. Still, she wasn't about to turn down a chance to spend time with her old friend, so off they went.

For the first few minutes of the walk, he was quiet. Not angry-quiet, but not happy-quiet either. He kept looking her way, then back ahead and a few times she could swear she saw his cheeks turn a little pink.

"Rolf?"

"Hm?" He stopped in his tracks, nearly stumbling on a rock. "Ah!" She reached out and grabbed his arm to steady him, and she heard him gasp.

"Sorry! Um, it's not important."

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I don't mean to be so quiet, it's just..."

"Hm?"

"Nevermind!" He wriggled free of her grasp only to clutch her hand, and she felt her cheeks turn hot. The last time he'd taken her hand like that was the day they'd gone to pick flowers, the day they'd been captured by those bandits. The days before they'd joined the troupe for real seemed like years ago, now, back when they were just kids waiting back at the base for everyone. _Before he changed..._

But she'd changed too, hadn't she? Rolf wasn't her only best friend anymore, now that she had Jill. Gone were the days when all they had for company was each other; Mist had never realized how nice it could be to have a female best friend. Titania was wonderful, but she was more like an aunt, and Mia was nice but she always wanted to spar, something Mist couldn't do yet.

They were both growing up, and Mist was glad for that. But sometimes she missed those days of being kids, running through the fields with hardly a care in the world. She missed the sweet, gentle boy Rolf used to be, the one who was always by her side and didn't care about fighting and shooting targets and being strong.

Of course, part of her had to admit she did kind of like the new, mature Rolf. He was more confident, more sure of himself now, and his features had matured; his face was more angular, more like a man's. He was taller, had more muscle...not as much as Ike or Boyd, of course, but it was there. And quite frankly, she found him more attractive.

So she was torn. Did she miss the old, boyish Rolf and want him back or was she more drawn to this handsome, mature Rolf?

"Mist?" His voice caught her attention and she realized her hand was gripping his a little tighter than she'd meant. She loosened her fingers, her face growing warm once more.

"Sorry! I was just, um, thinking!"

"Oh." He nodded. "Well...we're almost there." _There?_ He hadn't mentioned having anywhere he wanted to go, just for a walk.

"Where?"

"I was saving it for a surprise," he said. "But trust me, you'll like it!" And suddenly she found herself standing in a small glade. Two large trees stood on either side of a small pond, a large rock sat on the left and a few bushes and flower patches were scattered every which way. Mist rubbed her eyes with her free hand, then gasped when she realized she wasn't seeing things.

"It's so pretty!" she cried. She wanted to spin in circles and run about, but Rolf still held her hand and she didn't quite want to let go. And what if he thought she was silly for spinning around? "How'd you find it?"

"I was hunting deer a few days ago and I kind of stumbled onto this place. When I saw it, I thought about you," Rolf said. "Y-you know, cause we used to pick flowers and stuff! Remember? We used to bring them to the base until Soren complained about allergies and that meant he wanted us to cut it out!"

"Rolf..." She couldn't believe he _remembered_ that day, or that seeing the glad had made him think of _her._ "Wow, that was so long ago, I didn't think you..."

"Mist, it was three years," he said with a laugh. "Besides, even if it were longer than that I'd still remember. I remember all kinds of things about you and me. I mean...we grew up together. And we still are." He blushed, digging his free hand into his pocket. "Sorry for being kinda sappy. That's not very manly of me."

"No." She smiled, turning to face him. "Rolf, I was starting to wonder if you cared about the old days anymore. I mean, lately you and I are kinda..."

"Growing apart?" He sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry. It's...it's not even that I wanna be one of the guys, they don't even care that I've got a girl best friend. It's...more than that. Um..."

"Rolf?"

"I-I_ like_ you, Mist!" He seemed to force the words out. "I mean, _like you_ like you. The way Rhys likes Titania and Boyd says he doesn't like Mia and Soren likes Ike and Gatrie likes every girl he sees." He swallowed. "You're...so pretty now. Not that you were ever ugly, but lately you're just _really_ pretty and I see the way other guys look at you. It's like you're a different girl now, you've really grown up and I've been afraid you might not think of me the same anymore! So there. That's why I've been acting so dumb lately."

She was speechless. All this time she'd been worrying about him, and he'd been worrying just as much about her. Things had changed and they'd grown so much that neither one knew how to approach the other anymore, and it was driving them both crazy.

But it didn't need to be that way, Mist realized. They were growing up, but they didn't need to be growing apart, especially if he felt the way she did. Best friends shouldn't hide things from each other, especially things like this.

Deep down, he was still the same Rolf. The one who'd stayed with her all night the night Dad had died, the one who'd wanted to become a strong fighter to protect her and everyone else from the enemy, the one who'd fought by her side in all those battles and worried about her when she went to help Ike fight the Black Knight.

"If you've been acting dumb, so have I," she finally said. "Rolf, I...I like you, too. I was worried maybe you didn't want to hang out anymore, but...I guess I worried for nothing." He gave a sigh of relief and let go of her hand only to hug her.

"So we both worried for nothing!"

"Yeah!" She returned his embrace for a moment before they pulled back, smiling. And then, suddenly, she leaned her face close to his and he rested a hand on her waist.

"So, um...Mist? Can I..."

"I was about to ask the same thing." And then he kissed her. It was short, quick and a little clumsy but it was _Rolf_ and nothing could have felt more right. They pulled back for a moment only for their lips to meet again, this time longer and slower.

She was no longer worried about them growing up. As far as she was concerned, things could only get better from here.


End file.
